HURON DAILY TRIBUNE, Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan Copyright © 2001 by Carol Morrison. This copy contributed for use in the MIGenWeb Archives. MIGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed MIGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the MIGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Local obituaries for the week beginning February 24, 2002 Sunday, February 24, 2002 Donald Cottrell Donald Cottrell, 66, of Port Austin and formerly of Flint, died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2002, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland, Fla. Donald was born on Feb. 20, 1935, in Flint, the son of George and Elizabeth (Hildebrand) Cottrell. He retired from General Motors SPO in June 1992. He was very involved with his popcorn wagons and parade characters. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; children, Sherri Richards and her husband, Dr. William H., Donald F. Cottrell and his wife, Lesa; seven grandchildren, Heather, Ryan, Kristi, Colleen, Emily, Gina and Vincent; sisters, Catherine Ross and Margaret Hintz; brother, William Cottrell; special companion, Skye; special friends, Mark and Lia Murray and Lavonne Watson; several nieces and nephews. Mr. Cottrell was preceded in death by his daughter, Vicki Ann Musa. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, 2002, at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Road in Swartz Creek. Entombment will be in Sunset Hills Cemetery. Visitation is from is from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Online condolences may be made at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Virginia Kelley Virginia A. "Ginny" Kelley, 63, of Cass City died Friday, Feb. 22, 2002, in St. Mary's Hospital in Saginaw after a battle with cancer. She was born on Aug. 8, 1938, in Patterson, N.J. to Robert and Virginia (Bigelow) Wood. She married Scott C. Kelley on June, 24, 1959, in Durham, N.H. Ginny worked for Cole Carbide for 30 years. She loved life and loved spending time with her family and friends. Ginny is survived by her husband, Scott; children Melanie Hobbs and her husband, Allen, of Zurich Lake, Ill., Craig Kelley of Cass City, Wendy Rainey and her husband, William, of Schaumburg, Ill., Melissa Kelley of Cass City; grandchildren Ryan Hobbs, Ericka Kraus, Brittany Hobbs, Adam Kelley; brother, Bigelow Wood and his wife, Sandy, of Biddeford, Maine; brother- in-law, George Kelley and his wife, Cheryl, of Tennessee; sisters-in-law, Jackie Garland and her husband, Robert, of Barrington, N.H., Starr Kelley of Dover, N.H. and Sharon Cummins and her husband, Donald, of Gagetown; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Wood and brother-in-law, Vern Kelley. Following a private visitation for her family, Ginny will be cremated and a memorial service as a celebration of her life will take place at a later date. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Arrangements are by Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City. Dorothy Brind Dorothy Brind, 96, of Gagetown died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002, in Tendercare Nursing Facility in Cass City. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002, at Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City with Dr. Philip Rice of Cass United Methodist Church officiating. Interment is in Cadillac Memorial Gardens Wets Cemetery in Garden City. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Lucille Wentworth Lucille Wentworth, 82, of Cass City and formerly of Lansing, died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002, in her home. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, 2002, at Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City with the Rev. Terry Butters of Kingston United Methodist Church officiating. Interment is in Novesta Township Cemetery. Visitation is from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Monday, February 25, 2002 Edward Wencley Mr. Edward John Wencley, 82, of Harbor Beach died Sunday morning, Feb. 24, 2002, at Courtney Manor of Bad Axe. He was born Dec. 18, 1919, in Parisville, son of the late Frank and Anna (Pokora) Wencley. He was a graduate of St. Mary elementary school. He farmed with his family. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard in South America in World War II. He worked at Burroughs Adding Machine for eight years. He was a journeyman electrician for John Miller Contractors in Troy and retired in 1978. He was a former parishioner of St. Justin Parish of Hazel Park. He moved to Harbor Beach in 1985. He was a parishioner of St. Mary's Catholic Church of Parisville and a member of the Men's Club. He was a member of the VFW Post No. 9344 of Harbor Beach and a union steward of Local 17 of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers. He enjoyed hunting and euchre. He is survived by one son, John Wencley and his wife, Leslee, of Metamora; two daughters, Renee Montry and her husband, Edwin, of Canton and Lauren Harrison and her husband, Steve, of Prudenville; five grandchildren; one great- granddaughter; and two sisters, Theresa Heilig of Sandusky and Bertha Grimski of Warren. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Alex and Stanley Wencley; and one sister, Agnes Krantz. A funeral mass will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002, at St. Mary Catholic Church of Parisville. The Rev. Charles Hammond, pastor will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery with military honors by the Harbor Beach VFW Post No. 9344. There will be Men's Club rosary at 8 p.m. Tuesday and a vigil service at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Zinger-Smigielski Funeral Home of Ubly. Visitation will be 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, and 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Tuesday, February 26, 2002 Donald Moore Donald M. Moore, 74, of Cass City died Monday, Feb. 25, 2002, in St. Mary's Medical Center, Saginaw, after a short illness. He was born June 23, 1927, in Palms to Charles and Elizabeth (Warschefski) Moore. He married Janice F. Dean on July 29, 1950, in St. John's Lutheran Church in Palms. Don worked at Walbro for more than 10 years and then as a welder for Kelsey-Hayes in Marlette until his retirement. After his retirement, Don continued welding projects from his home. He was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cass City. Don enjoyed fishing, pheasant hunting and deer hunting. Don is survived by his wife, Janice; a son, Duane R. Moore and his wife, Marsha, of Bay City; a daughter, Brenda Burns and her husband, Thomas, of Cass City; and grandchildren, Tracy Messing and her husband, Nick, Terri Moore and Tommy Burns. He was preceded in death by his parents. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cass City with the Rev. Gerald Meyer officiating. Interment will be in Elkland Township Cemetery in Cass City. Honorary pallbearers will be Ben Gruber and Joe Windy, and active pallbearers will be Al Lapeer, Ed Burns, Dick Easton, Ray Windy and Darrell Randall. Visitation will be 7 to 9 p.m. this evening, and 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City, and 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Family Discretionary Fund. John Lobdell John L. "Rip" Lobdell, 83, of Bay Port and recent resident of Scenic AFC Home in Pigeon, passed away Monday evening, Feb. 25, 2002, at Scheurer Hospital in Pigeon. Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, at Meyersieck- Bussema Funeral Home, a Golden Rule funeral home in Pigeon. Elder Ervin Haley of Community Christ Church in Bay Port will officiate with burial in the New Bay Port Cemetery. Visitation will be 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made in his memory. Wednesday, February 27, 2002 Allen Beach Retired Naval Commander Allen Robert Beach, D.D.S., 85, of Caseville and Laguna Hills, Calif., passed away on Feb. 2, 2002, in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 9, 1916 to Miles and Anna Beach of Pigeon. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Detroit School of Dentistry. He was a commander in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps in both World War II and Korea. He practiced dentistry in Grosse Pointe Woods and Caro. He leaves his cherished memory to his wife of 60 years, Marie Margaret Beach; daughters, Beverly Mina Beasley of Salt Lake City, and Jayne Beach Randall of Richmond, Va.; grandchildren, Heather Marie Randall and John Robin Beasley of Salt Lake City and Jeremy Charles Randall and Jeannette Margaret-Asel Randall of Richmond; and his sister, Jennie Beach DeBoer of Caseville. He was preceded in death by his brothers, John Beach and Morse Beach of Pigeon; and his parents. Dr. Beach was loved and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. July 2 at the Caseville United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association Midwest Office, Memorial Program, Dept. 77-3968, Chicago, Ill., 60678- 3968, (800) 242-8721, or www.americanheart.org. Betty McIlhargie-Fisher Betty J. McIlhargie-Fisher, 75, of Lake Township died Monday morning, Feb. 25, 2002, at Bay Medical Center. She was born Jan. 18. 1927, to the late Oscar and Gertrude (Day) Sternberg in Bad Axe. She was united in marriage to Edward J. McIlhargie in 1945. He preceded her in death in 1988. She then married John Fisher in 1991. He preceded her in death in 1999. Betty was a faithful member of St. Felix Catholic Church in Pinnebog and of the Altar Society. She was an avid golfer and a member of the Caseville Golf Club. She also had many other pleasures in life, including family, cooking, sewing and gardening. She is survived by five sons, Eugene McIlhargie and his wife, Lisa, of Stockton, Calif., Dave McIlhargie of Kinde, Steve McIlhargie and his wife, Jackie, of Mount Morris, Ed McIlhargie and his wife, Mary, of Pigeon, and Mark McIlhargie and his wife, Sherry, of Stockton; four daughters, Susan McIlhargie and her husband, Dean Hoag, of Cass City, Sandy Gosslan and her husband, Joe, of New Baltimore, Ann McIlhargie of Anchorage, Alaska, and Margaret McIlhargie of Lodi, Calif.; 33 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; one sister, Dona Streiter and her husband, Dean, of Unionville; and two brothers, Duane Sternberg and his wife, Lucelle, of Gary, Ind., and Ken Sternberg and his wife, Sue, of Bad Axe. She was preceded in death by three sons, George, Charlie and Jim McIlhargie; two grandsons, Todd and Adam McIlhargie; two brothers, Carl and Andy Sternberg; and four sisters, Florence Schadd, Blanche Kohler, Arlene Jackson and Fay Sternberg. A funeral mass will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002, at St. Felix Catholic Church in Pinnebog. The Rev. Fr. Schabel will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 2 to 9 p.m. today at the Champagne Funeral Chapel in Elkton and from 10 a.m. until the time of services Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to the church or the Thumb Area Dialysis Center. Thursday, February 28, 2002 Anne Oglenski Anne C. Oglenski, 85, of Harbor Beach passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, in the Huron County Medical Care Facility in Bad Axe after a long illness. She was born on Nov. 22, 1916, in St. Louis, Mo. to the late Stanislaw and Maryanna (Godlewski) Nowakowski. Anne and John Oglenski were united in marriage on June 22, 1940 in Detroit. He preceded her in death on Aug. 24, 1979. Mrs. Oglenski moved to the area with her family in 1967. She worked for Unell Manufacturing in Port Hope before her retirement and taught ceramic classes for many years. Anne enjoyed gardening, china painting and crafty projects. She belonged to the Port Hope Craft Club and she was a familiar face at many craft sales in the area. Mrs. Oglenski was a member of Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church in Harbor Beach and she was a member of the choir. Her favorite past time was spending time with her family. She is survived by her sons, P. Stephen Oglenski and his wife, Deborah, and Martin Oglenski and his wife, Deborah, all of Harbor Beach; nine grandchildren; special friend, Roy Crowley; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a son, Thomas; a brother, Thaddeus Nowakowski; two sisters, Estelle and Berenice Nowakowski. A funeral mass will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2002, in Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church with burial in the church cemetery. A parish vigil service will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today, 1 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, and from 9 a.m. until the time of the service Saturday at the church. Memorials may be given to Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church, Eastern Huron Ambulance Service, the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, the Hydrocephalus Association or the American Diabetes Association. Lorraine Woolner Lorraine Woolner, 83, of Bad Axe died on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, at Huron Medical Center. Mrs. Woolner was very active in her church. She enjoyed sewing, quilting and making crafts. She was 1935 graduate of Bad Axe High School. At different times in her life she was church treasurer, a Sunday school teacher, a bible school teacher, missionary president, 4-H leader and a scout leader. She enjoyed babysitting many children in the Bad Axe area. She was especially fond of Rod and Dave Rapson. Mrs. Woolner was loved and valued by her family and friends and will be missed deeply by all who knew her. She is survived by five daughters, Mary Jane Brown of Paducah, Ky., Marie Isbister and her husband, Mike, Sarah Wilson and her husband, Walt, all of Bad Axe, Kathaleen Shannon and her husband, Jeff, of Benton, Pa. and Mary Burnett and her husband, Paul, of Newtonia, Mo.; two sons, Bill Bardell, and Sam Glasgow and his wife, Elizabeth, all of Bad Axe; four sisters, Bernice Schwerin and her husband, Ralph, of Sandusky, Alta Gonzalez and her husband, Joseph, of North Muskegon, Marge Corning and her husband, Lowell, of Muskegon, and Inez Gerstenschlager and her husband, Al, of Bad Axe; one brother, Wilfred Apley and his wife, Sue, of Bad Axe; sister-in-law, Agnes Schultz of Bad Axe; step-daughter, Katherine McTaggart and her husband, Harold, of Port Hope; two step-sons, Bernard Woolner and his wife, Donna, of Capac. and Jim Woolner of Pontiac; good friend, Joan Smith of Port Hope; grandchildren, Mimi, Danielle, Leigh, Charlotte, Kevin, Ken, Gene and Susie; many great-grandchildren; her church family at the Bad Axe Nazarene Church, where she was a charter member; many nieces and nephews, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Alvin Woolner, Thomas Glasgow and William Bardell; an infant daughter, Sharon Bardell; sister, Evelyn Moeller; infant twin sisters; brothers, Wallace, Arch, and Stanley Apley; parents, Asa and Nellie Apley; granddaughter, Christina; daughter-in-law, Betty Bardell; stepsons, Alvin Jr., Kenneth and Frank Woolner. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2002, at MacAlpine Funeral Home in Bad Axe with the Rev. Donald Stroud officiating. Burial will take place at New River Cemetery in Port Austin. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. until the time of the service Friday. Memorials may be made to the family discretionary fund. Friday, March 1, 2002 Morris DeMartin Morris S. (Rocky) DeMartin, 55, of Sebewaing died late Wednesday evening, Feb. 27, 2002, at his home following a one-year illness. He was born June 7, 1946, in Bay City, son of Stella (Gavlik) DeMartin and the late Archie DeMartin. He was united in marriage to Carolyn Smith on May 29, 2001, in Bad Axe. Morris was employed at Michigan Sugar Co. in Sebewaing for more than 25 years. He was an avid woodworker and loved to golf and fish. Surviving besides his wife, Carolyn, are three stepdaughters, Tammy, Candy and Laurie; five step-grandchildren; his mother, Stella, of Fairgrove; one sister, Ann Louise Coffindaffer and her husband, Ed, of Fairgrove; four sisters-in-law, Jean DeMaertelure of Akron, Linda Avery and her husband, Jim, of Caro, Deb Stupka and her husband, Andy, of Kalamazoo, and Ruth Fritz and her husband, Ron, of Bay City; one brother, Roger DeMartin of Howard City; one brother-in-law, Rick Rodriguez and his wife, Kimberly, of Pigeon; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father; and four brothers, Raymond, Frank, Camiel and Eddie DeMaertelure. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2002, at Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing. The Rev. Michael Allen of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Unionville will officiate with cremation to follow at Sunset Valley Crematory in Bay City. Interment will take place at Hickory Island Cemetery near Unionville. Visitation will be noon to 9 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. until the time of services Saturday at the funeral home. Edward Mearsheimer Edward Joseph Mearsheimer Jr., 84, of Bad Axe died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002, at Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe. He was born in the Bronx, New York, to the late Edward Joseph and Lillian (Koelble) Mearsheimer Sr. Edward and Beata Huber Matthews were united in marriage on Oct. 18, 1968. A certified public accountant, Edward graduated from Fordham University in New York City. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and was a man who loved his family, his friends and his pets. He enjoyed watching television and sports, particularly the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees. Edward is survived by his wife, Beata; one daughter, Irene Wenner and her husband, Wayne, of Pearl River, La.; one stepdaughter, Cynthia Ruppert and her husband, Bill, of South Lake, Texas; two nephews, Edward Kelly and his wife, Sue, of North Carolina, and Kenneth Kelly of Brandon, Fla. He was preceded in death by a sister, Veronica Kelley. Mass of Christian burial will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2002, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bad Axe. Fr. John Killop will officiate. Burial will be in the Colfax Township Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 9 p.m. today at the MacAlpine Funeral Home in Bad Axe. Memorials may be given to the church. Frank Thayer Frank E. Thayer, 88, of Caro died Thursday morning, Feb. 28, 2002, at Caro Community Hospital. He was born Nov. 26, 1913, in El Paso, Texas, to the late Frank and Josephine (Quinn) Thayer. He moved to Detroit with his parents as a young boy. On July 19, 1941, he was united in marriage to Jean A. Cross at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Detroit. They moved to Elkton in 1955, where he took a position at Active Industries, Inc. In 1967, they left Elkton and went to Vassar as he became maintenance supervisor at Vassar Manufacturing, retiring in 1977. Frank and Jean moved to Caro in 1980. Frank was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Caro and the men's choir. He enjoyed hunting, reading and puzzles, but mostly spending time with his family. Surviving are his wife, Jean; two daughters, Jackie Smith and her husband, Lloyd, of Gordonville, Texas, and Kathy Murdoch and her husband, Jim, of Caseville; two sons, Jim Thayer and his wife, Liz, of West Olive and Tom Thayer and his wife, Debbie, of Lewisville, Texas; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister, Nona Thayer. A funeral mass will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2002, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Caro. Fr. Dennis Kucharczyk, pastor, will officiate with burial in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, Pigeon. Visitation will be 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. Memorials may be given to the Fr. Solanus Guild, 1780 Mount Elliot, Detroit, MI 48207. Arrangements were handled by Champagne Funeral Chapel, Elkton. Richard Curtindale Richard Curtindale, 65, of Salisbury, N.C., formerly of Harbor Beach, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, Feb. 22, 2002, in Monterey, Mexico. Funeral services were today, March 1, 2002, in the Summerset Funeral Home in Salisbury with burial to be in the Rock Falls Cemetery, Harbor Beach. Arrangements are being handled by the Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach. A complete obituary will appear in Sunday's Huron Daily Tribune. 1